Robert Lepage's acclaimed new production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, will air on Great Performances at the Met, September 11-14 in primetime each night on PBS stations (check local listings), as a major television event.

The operas - Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung - will be preceded on Monday, September 10 at 9 p.m. (check local listings) by the airing of award-winning filmmaker Susan Froemke's documentary Wagner's Dream, which chronicles the backstage story of the creation of this ambitious new staging.

This is only the third time a complete Ring cycle has been aired on PBS. In 1983, Great Performances aired Patrice Chereau's production of the Ring conducted by Pierre Boulez from the Bayreuth Festival, and in 1990, Live from the Met (the precursor of Great Performances at the Met) presented Otto Schenk's Metropolitan Opera production, conducted by James Levine.

Critically Acclaimed! That's a knee-slapper! From a post by New Yorker critic-at-large Alex Ross on their culture blog:

"Will Robert Lepages version of the Ring, which finishes a run at the Met this week, recover from the drubbing it has received in the print press and on the Internet? Anything is possible, but probably not. This Ring has few defenders, and they are far exceeded in vehemence by its detractors.

"In a column in March, I went out on a limb and declared that pound for pound, ton for ton, it is the most witless and wasteful production in modern operatic history. Anthony Tommasini, in the Times, called it the most frustrating opera production I have ever had to grapple with. Justin Davidson, in New York, wrote, Theres hardly a moment in any of the four episodes when you sense the directors passionate involvement with the characters or their moral dilemmas. Brian Kellow, in Opera News (published by the Metropolitan Opera Guild), announced that we are in the midst of a very bad period, and went on to quote my Ring review. Heidi Waleson, in the Wall Street Journal, perceived no sustaining vision. Jeremy Eichler, in the Boston Globe, tapped in the final nail: In their fetishization of technological brilliance at the expense of just about everything else, Lepages productions remain a chilling, cautionary tale."

But, what the hell; it's free on PBS. Pity those who spent thousands of dollars for one seat to all four operas!

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/05/the-met-ring-cycle-critics.html#ixzz1x8lA0wA5

I saw Gotterdamerung in San Francisco and it was amazing. I think in 2010. I just closed my eyes during Siegfrieds funeral march and loved every minute. I look forward to the rest of the Ring. I want to see Parsifal. It is Wagners last opera and it is about redemption. Maybe the mean sob had a awakening before he died. I love all of his music.

This is only the third time a complete Ring cycle has been aired on PBS. In 1983, Great Performances aired Patrice Chereau's production of the Ring conducted by Pierre Boulez from the Bayreuth Festival

That was the best "dam" production of Wagner ever made.

13
posted on 06/07/2012 2:09:20 PM PDT
by x
("Wagner's music is better than it sounds." -- Attributed to Mark Twain)

My wife and I paid to see the LA Opera’s “Das Rheingold” in the 2010-11 season and were bored out of our minds. We thus skipped the next four Ring operas. (”Rheingold” is the shortest of the four, IIRC.)

Right. now, there is a hate-on going on between the majority gay NY critical media and Peter Gelb, the General Manager at the Met - they’re PO’d because they don’t feel he’s giving enough face time to their favorite gay conductor, Yannick Nezet Seguin.

In the case of Brian Kellow and Heidi Wallison, they are connected to the Metropolitan Opera Guild, whose budget Peter Gelb had a hand in reducing sharply, resulting in quite a few firings and reductions in salary.

I am NOT gay and I think Peter Gelb is the worst thing to happen to opera in America in 50 years. The paralells with Obama are striking: no real experience going in; extreme narcissim; refusing to engage competent experts; playing fast and loose with the truth; trying to silence his opponents; and ignoring normal rules of conduct. Oh, and spending money - well, I'd say like a drunken sailor, but drunken sailors usually only spend their own money.

Yannick Nezet Seguin is quite busy as the music director designate of the Philadelphia Orchestra (his term starts in September); Music Director of the Metropolitain Orchestra (Montreal); pricipal guest conductor of the London Philarmonis orchestra and principal guest conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. He debuted at the Met with a new production of Carmen; returned the following season for a new production of Don Carlo; and was the conductor of the past season's new production of Faust. He returns next year to conduct La Traviata, probably involving at least a five week committment. I doubt the Met could get any more time on his schedule even if they begged and pleaded. Opera conducting is much less lucrative than symphonic conducting, since operas have a longer rehearsal period and generally only get two performances a week; symphonic conductors can easily conduct 3 or 4 performances in a week. No knowledgeable opera-lover could expect N-S to be at the Met any more than he is.

The MET is doing a new production of Parsifal next season, and I think you can count on it being one of the productions broadcast to movie theatres world-wide. The telecast should be on March 2, 2013 at 12 noon eastern time. Like most of Gelb’s productions, it sounds like it will have nothing to do with what the composer intended, but for $22 or so, you can always close your eyes.

Borges, I understand that this is a bit off topic..but I have a question for all of ya’ll.

One evening in 2002, I was channel surfing, when I found that LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER was just about to begin on our local Dallas PBS station. I had no idea that they were about to present The New York City Opera’s production of The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, with John DeMain conducting.

I simply love The Gershwin’s PORGY AND BESS..this Opera is almost NEVER presented on television. This was to be a LIVE production from the stage of one of the Lincoln Center theaters. I could NOT miss recording this program~!

I scrambled to put in a videotape..and got the recording started sheer moments before the overture started. Yes, I was able to get the entire Opera on Video tape.

The problem is that, in that brief moment before the program started; I grabbed the first videotape I could find, without looking to see what it was. This specific videotape was very old, it had been used a number of times to record various programs. In short..it was an extremely bad videotape.

I’ve since been able to transfer PORGY from that videotape to a dvd. BUT all of the problems that were inherant on that videotape, are also on the dvd.

The New York City Opera presented this production of Porgy and Bess on the 20th of March, in 2002. It was based on the legendary 1977 Houston Grand Opera’s production of Porgy. I was able to see this marvelous Houston Grand Opera production twice in 1977. John DeMain, who conducted the New York City Opera’s presentation of Porgy, was also the principal conductor for the 1977 Houston production.

I would love to find a GOOD video copy of this PBS production. BUT I’ve asked. PBS does NOT sell any content from the LIVE AT LINCOLN CENTER program. Apparently NO one does, it’s not available anywhere commercially. I’ve asked around, ever since 2002, if anyone recorded that specific program. I’ve yet to be able to find anyone who recorded that program.

Surely there is someone who also recorded this specific program that night in 2002. Do any of you know of anyone who might have also recorded Porgy from PBS that evening in 2002? I would love to get a COPY of a GOOD Video recording of that program.

I understand that it’s a long shot, especially this far removed from 2002..BUT if anyone can help me locate a copy of this LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER production..please let me know.

I know that this has been a bit off topic..but, I think that if anyone would know about these things..it would be our FRiends on Free Republic.

There was a film version of Parsifal made in the early 80s by a German director that was very contrivertial because of the references to Hitler and the nazis. But it was an amazing dvd I had. Now can’t find it anywhere.

Glad to hear that Nezet-Seguin is so busy elsewhere. I was present at his performances vis-vis Carmen, Don Carlo, and Faust (they were part of my subscription, unfortunately) - I thought they were quite lackluster, not a real opera conducter. Maybe he does better as a symphonic conductor.

I guess we’ll just have to disagree about Peter Gelb. I’m very happy with what he’s doing at the Met.

The last thing I would want to do is rely on write-ups in the likes of the NY Times, the New Yorker, the New York Observer, Opera News. etc. I prefer to make up my own mind based on my own experience, thank you very much. I don’t need some half-baked critic with a personal agenda to tell me what to think or what I have experienced.

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